2006-11-12 04:00:00 PDT 11/05/06 -- The winter holidays are just around the corner, but for thousands of Bay Area residents the joyful jingling sounds have nothing to do with flying reindeer or a bearded man in a red suit. For them, the metal-on-metal clanking means only one thing - breaking out the tire chains for the season's first getaway to Tahoe. For the majority of ski and snowboard aficionados, however, the feeling of slicing through fresh powder lasts only a few days at a time, as work and family responsibilities keep most of us tethered close to home. Imagine staying in Tahoe all winter, rather than having to sneak in a handful of weekend trips. Now imagine someone actually paying you to do it.

Every year local ski and snowboard fanatics make the drive up to Tahoe in the early winter and don't come home until April or May, but even folks who didn't buy Google stock at $100 can pull it off by landing one of the thousands of temporary winter jobs offered by all the region's ski areas.

"We have positions for people with all levels of experience," said Genevieve Gunnarson, marketing director at Northstar-at-Tahoe. "We're looking for lift operators, people to work in our rental shop, ski and snowboard instructors and food and beverage staff."

Interested applicants can search for open positions and apply online at www.northstarattahoe.com. Among some of the positions currently listed on the site are housekeepers, front desk and reservations agents, lift operators, skating rink attendants, maiantenance personnel and retail sales associates at on-site stores, including The North Face, Starbucks and Oakley.

For many people who spend their winters working in Tahoe, however, the main focus isn't the work - it's all about getting on the slopes when the workday is over. One of the best recruiting tools that the resorts on both sides of the Nevada-California border have is the ability to offer employees free or reduced-rate access to some of the best winter activities in North America. Seasonal workers usually receive a combination of free ski and snowboarding passes; free lessons; free mountain biking; discounts on gas, rentals and retail shopping; and food discounts of up to 50 percent. Many ski areas also host employees-only parties, ski competitions and even year-round golf tournaments.

Although ski-resort jobs have a reputation for low pay, competition to get great employees has created a seller's market for many positions. Entry-level jobs in Tahoe tend to pay in the $7 to $9 per-hour range, but certain positions, such as accounting clerks, golf course greenskeepers and safety professionals, offer higher salaries. In addition, many positions have back-loaded incentives to encourage employees to stay until the end of the ski season.

Where to stay

Housing for seasonal workers in the Lake Tahoe area is surprisingly affordable despite the area's reputation for hyper-inflated lodging costs during winter months. Many resorts offer on-site apartments and dormitory-style housing for first-time employees, as well as referrals to local rental agencies for workers returning from previous seasons. Housing can cost as little as $75 per week, which means that even entry-level employees can squirrel away a few bucks during their time working at a Tahoe resort. And while winter staff members won't earn as much as they could in a cubicle at a Silicon Valley software company, the perks - namely, the ability to go skiing or boarding anytime outside of work hours - are worth it for many die-hard ski and board junkies.

Just about every Tahoe devotee has a favorite resort or ski area, and the good news is that just about all of them still have plenty of openings for the 2006-2007 season.

"We tend to over-hire by about 20 percent," said Savannah Cowley, a spokesperson for Squaw Valley, one of Tahoe's premier ski areas and host city for the 1960 Winter Olympics. "We have openings in guest services, ticket sales, retail and parking, and we're always looking for qualified and experienced ski instructors."

Cowley says that the resort doesn't hire by phone, recommending instead that interested job seekers take time to check out listings at www.squaw.com and then visiting the resort to meet with hiring managers in person. "It's really important for us to meet candidates face to face," she said. "We actually hire a lot of people on the spot."

Just as Squaw and other North Shore facilities are ramping up, so are the resorts on the South Shore.

Les Marsh, Vice President for Human Resources at Heavenly, says that his resort is also in the process of beefing up its staff for the ski season. "We hire about 1,400 people to work here each winter, and we're looking for people who have worked in restaurants, hospitality and customer service or who want to get experience in those areas," said Les Marsh, vice president for human resources at Heavenly Mountain Resort. "We also look for people with proven skills in operating heavy equipment to operate our snow-making machines and vehicles."

Like many Tahoe resorts, Heavenly lists open jobs on its Web site (www.skiheavenly.com), although the company prefers to hire in person.

Not just the low end

Although many of the positions for which Tahoe resorts are currently hiring are service jobs, there are also openings for experienced professionals with skills in education, computers, finance and sales. Kirkwood is currently seeking an office manager/accountant with a bachelor's degree in accounting or equivalent experience to work in the Mountain Utilities department. Ski Alpine is seeking a full- or part-time human resources professional. Heavenly is hiring a daycare lead teacher with at least 12 ECE core units, prior experience, and +3 units in ECE Administration or Infant Studies. Each of these positions offers the same great skier-friendly benefits that service employees get, so if you're an IT pro who would rather leave work and head to the snow-covered hills - as opposed to fighting the evening commute on 101 or 880 - a job in Tahoe might be the right choice for you.

When the snow starts melting in the spring, many seasonal employees leave Tahoe to find other employment or to travel. For some, however, the allure of the area keeps them rooted. After all, why leave for greener pastures when Tahoe becomes a greener pasture every summer?

The good news is that local resorts have a range of jobs that offer the opportunity to spend spring, summer and fall in one of the most beautiful areas of the country, even when there's no skiing. Retail clerks, security officers, guest services staff and housekeepers are always in demand, so if your love of Tahoe doesn't dissipate when the ski crowd goes home, you can always find year-round positions that will allow you to spend as much time as you want in the Sierra Nevada mountains.